A job fair next week at Cleveland Mall will connect businesses with potential employees.

More than 10 percent of Cleveland County workers were unemployed as of July, the latest reported month from the state of North Carolina.

That equates to more than 5,100 residents without jobs.

There may be good news on the horizon for local workers, with the Catawba Indian Nation pursing a resort and casino near Kings Mountain. That project proposes more than 4,000 new jobs for Cleveland and surrounding counties.

And local economic development leaders say there are other projects on the horizon that could bring even more new jobs into the county.